Shades of Gray

August 23, 2015August 23, 2015 / Benn Bell / 2 Comments

I was a Safety Manager in manufacturing for 20 years and a Human Resources Manager for 15. While I was a Human Resources Manager I had a chance encounter with a Safety Manager who was visiting my site. We had a discussion about the difference between the two professions.

“I could never be a Human Resources Manager,” he said. “Everything is a shade of gray. I like things to be black and white. In the safety profession, everything is black and white. Something is either safe or it isn’t.”

“Well, that’s where you and I are different.” I answered. “That’s why I got out of the safety business and into the human resources business. Because I see everything in shades of gray.”

Boom!

Place for Politics, 8-19-2015: Bobby Jindal

August 19, 2015 / Benn Bell / Leave a comment

Bobby Jindal was born but not bred in Baton Rouge, LA. on June 10, 1971. His full name is Piyush Jindal. He was born six months after his parents arrived from Punjab, India. He is an american citizen by reason of his birth as is so prescribed by the 14th amendment to the US Constitution. I think it ironic, to say the very lesat, that our Mr. Jindal would be anti-immigration or that he would support the repeal of the 14th amendment.

Mr. Jindal is a very smart man and once accused the Republicans of being memebrs of the “Stupid Party.” He is not acquitting himself very well of late for someone who has come so far and risen so high.

Quote of the Day 8-16-2015

August 16, 2015August 16, 2015 / Benn Bell / Leave a comment

The fate of all nations will not be settled until the problems of peace and world organization have been solved…the effectiveness of the people’s action depends on their finding the courage to give up some of their dreams for now in order to save lives. Before it is all over, it will, perhaps, be necessary to raise our voices.

Albert Camus, 11-29-1946, Combat

My Books are Never so Happy as When they are all Together

August 12, 2015 / Benn Bell / 4 Comments

I have moved recently and whenever I move I am always fretting over how much stuff I have. Not the least of which is a rather large collection of books. My library as it were. I have been hauling this collection of books around the country with me for some 50 years. Every time I make a move I try to winnow it down to a core number, but giving away books is a little like giving away children. It is an agony.

I discovered Christopher Hitchens

had a similar problem as he described in his essay, Prisoner of Shelves: “I try to cull them out but the closer I get to the center the harder it is to cull. I can’t throw out a book that has been with me for years and is like an old friend. Or a book that has been written by an acquaintance or who knows when I will need a reference to a subject however obscure. I never lend my books, I am compulsive about not letting them out of my sight.”

I feel the same way. In fact I composed this little ditty to describe my feelings:

Neither a lender nor a borrower be
For borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry
With this in mind then, if you still want to borrow
I’ll expect the book back by tomorrow.

When I moved from Trenton to Louisville three years ago I gave away literally 20 cases of books and downsized five bookcases. It gets harder each time. I just moved from a three bedroom house to a two bedroom apartment and once again find myself downsizing. At least now they are all together and they couldn’t be happier.